@Horton as a fellow Californian. Last year we started getting the itch. We haven't been to NC in years but wanted to travel in 2022 to check it out. Asheville was one of the first places we looked just scoping properties online. I didn't find much in terms of ski lakes but I did notice while the housing was cheaper, the schools didn't seems to be as good as they were further towards the coast. I started to do more research on the Charlotte area. More skiing availability, better schools, but pricier.
I did like the idea of being closer to the mountain in western NC though.
Tough choice. Not leaving CA... thats the easy part, but where to go from there.